Fire Mountain Trails

Wow! What a race!! 40 years in the making.
Chapeau, Kristen Faulkner!! 🥇 🇺🇸

Paris Olympics: Kristen Faulkner shocks favourites with solo victory in women's road race Photo finish reveals Marianne Vos silver, Lotte Kopecky bronze leaving Blanka Vas out of medal position in fourth

Chapeau, Haley Batten!!! 🇺🇸 🥈

Haley Batten survives puncture to win mountain bike silver for USA The US rider claimed the silver on the final lap after Jenny Rissveds was forced into a wheel change

If any of you folks prefer the Lycra road-type kit over the baggy stuff, check out the BCO branded Hincapie kit. It is OFF THE HOOK!! Light and super breathable. One of the best we’ve tried!! Pick one up at the Cherokee shop.

New hours for starting Sunday.

This picture 😀!
Le Tour de France Tadej Pogačar UAE Team Emirates

Happy Independence Day from the Fire Mountain Family!! 🧨💥❤️
🇺🇸🇺🇸

Wow!!! What a race! 35 Tour wins!!!
Chapeau, Sir Mark Cavendish!!!

Mark Cavendish breaks Tour de France stage win record with victory on stage five The Manxman powers to win in Saint Vulbas to take 35th win and history

Sad Ignitor Bike Park news.
Feel free to share.

Recently confirmed: The Fire Mountain Ignitor Park project has been officially cancelled and its construction contract revoked.
The federally funded, fully designed, and TERO contracted Fire Mountain Ignitor bike park, was expected to be completed by Labor Day 2024. The project was community vetted through two public meetings, unanimously approved by Planning Board with a unanimously approved contract with Tribal Business Committee.
The newest addition to the many successful outdoor recreation components on the Qualla boundary, the Ignitor Park was set to be a 2.2 acre asphalt pump track bike park complex built on Hwy 441 near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, turning an underutilized parking lot, into a destination.
It was likely to be the biggest park of its kind on the east coast, built for the purpose of giving our Tribal families new recreation opportunities.
The Ignitor Park was also built to hold regional and national pump track events. Estimates expected $4-6 million/year of economic impact to the Cherokee economy. The Park would have once again put the Eastern Band at the forefront of outdoor recreation in the region. Like Fire Mountain Trails, it would have been the first park of its kind built on Tribal lands.
All of this with no monetary investment or debt put upon the Tribe itself. ($2.5m of ARPA funds)
The Ignitor Park was shovel-ready, paid for, and set for big financial returns. More importantly, it was a project that could have had a real impact on the quality of life of our Tribal Citizens.
Although disappointed, we do hope that our outdoor community continues to stoke the fires that will eventually build a stronger, healthier community. Until then, our Tribal Citizens will again do without these opportunities.
Big thanks to all that supported this project. Especially our tribal cycling community. We are so thankful for you! We surely tried.

Happy Father’s Day!!!

BIG DAY! 7 Years! We’ve reached that very special number.
Jun 9th, 2017, 7 years ago today, we cut the ribbon on Fire Mountain Trails…and what an amazing 7 years it has been! Going through SOOOO MANY photos brought back so many wonderful memories (and cut loose more than a few tears if I’m honest). So many smiles, so many laughs and so many great friends and family made.
To that end, we thank all of you for our tremendous success and thank you for all the fun and joy we’ve all shared. From those that have been with us from day one, and to those we’ve made great friends and family with along the way….THANK YOU and WE LOVE YOU!! None of this matters without all of you! Here is to hoping that the future is just is just as bright. 🤞🏼
Until we see you again, Fire Mountain will love you, baby! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼WOO!!!!
🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥

Remembering the greatest generation and the longest day… 🇺🇸 ❤️

FMT group ride this Thursday. Come one come all. All ages. All skills. No drop. Food after

PERRY COUNTY PARK!
Registration is live for Perry Co Park! This is a TWO DAY race weekend! STXC on Saturday evening June 22, and XC on Sunday June 23! If you’ve not been to Perry County it’s a can’t miss race. The course is intentionally crafted inch by inch and offers a similar feeling to a World Cup XCO course. The features are designed to take easy or harder lines and is amazing for all skill levels to come and progress their abilities.

Save $5 automatically when adding the STXC to your cart with XC reg. 10 bonus points towards the overall if you race STXC no matter your placement.

Full start times/schedule of the weekend will be posted by the weekend on the website. Register early and save! Find the registration link at bluegrassmountaincup.com or in our instagram links.

Photo by Kenny Dunn.

FMT group ride this Thursday. Come one come all. All ages. All skills. No drop. Darnell Rockatansky says he’s coming but I believe he’s full of $&@%! That guy never shows up.

Fire Mountain Trails accounts for $1.5 million annually to the Qualla Boundary and surrounding region according to a new study just released from Appalachian State University.
Considering the initial investment of FM was less that $400,000 in 2017, we think that is a pretty solid ROI.
Can anyone name another non-gaming investment on EBCI lands to date that has done better? While still providing amazing outdoor opportunities for Tribal Citizens?
We’ll wait…..

App State economics students measure the impact of Fire Mountain Bike Trails The economic impact of the Fire Mountain Bike Trails (FMBT) on the surrounding region is significant, according to research from Appalachian State University's student chapter of the National Association for Business Economics and faculty in the Department of Economics in the Walker College of Bu...

For all our mommas and our momma’s mommas!
firemountaintrails

Such kind words from our new Fire Mountain Family member, Liv sponsored pro downhill rider, Caroline Washam.
🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️

The Fabulous Faces of the Fire Mountain Inferno! Volume One.
Some clearly more joyful than others. 😂 But we do love them all!!

A few more shots from the 2024 Fire Mountain Inferno!! Really the best one yet!!!

Day 2 complete and the 2024 Fire Mountain Inferno is in the books!! What a great time and with such fantastic people.
THE BEST INFERNO YET!!!

A big ol FMT thank you to pro downhill racer .washam for joining us with her beautiful family and taking part in our little race. She’s such a great ambassador for this sport and we were so lucky to have her!

Big SHOUT OUT to all of our sponsors and a bunch more! The swag and prizes were the usual….phenomenal!!

Another thanks to this year’s supporters and partners, , Janette Franich EBCI Commerce Division, Tribal Fire Department, and our community organizers and advocates, ! Thanks to all of you for what you do and what you have done!

And obviously a huge thank you to all of our racers and guests for making this event so successful and so special each and every year. You folks make the sauce…We love you and appreciate you so very much!!!
Cheers everyone to an amazing weekend!!!
Thank you!!
🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️

We just have one question….Where the @&$% # was Darnell Rockatansky today? Derek Rutkosky

More shots from Inferno day 1!!!!

What a fantastic (and wet!!) day 1 of the 2024 Inferno! Lots of rain and even more smiles!!! We couldn’t be happier with the vibe and wonderful people we get to meet and hang with!
BEST INFERNO YET!!! 💯
Getting ready for day 2!! Let’s do it!!! Woo!
🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
firemountaintrails

IT’S TIME!!! Let’s do this!
Happening now at ….
Inferno Packet pickup, huge sidewalk sale, flowing beers, smiling faces, and pro downhill racer .washam The is the absolute place to be this weekend!!! The RACE IS ON!!! Come be part of it! 🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️